By Drew Terhall

DailyAdvocate.com

VERSAILLES — It was the last scrimmage for Versailles and Greenville as the Tigers hosted the Green Wave at H.B Hole Field for their annual Jamboree on Aug. 11.

The varsity teams had the chance to play three quarters to start off. Then the junior varsity each had 20 plays of offense and the freshmen team had 10 plays.

Versailles came out strong and scored on their first four drives. The defense was able to get stops early on. Head coach Ryan Jones said he was thrilled to see the kids come out and play physical from the start. The team came in with the right attitude and looked sharp.

“Really happy with the way we came out and started the game varsity wise. We were able to put some points up. The defense came out and got some stops early on,” Jones said.

Senior Michael Osborne got the starting reps at quarterback to start. He had a passing touchdown to senior A.J. Griesdorn and a rushing touchdown. Junior Blake Henry had two rushing touchdowns.

Later on, junior James Schmitmeyer rushed for a touchdown and junior Ben Subler scored one to end the varsity session.

Jones said the team ran the ball well and made plays through the air when they needed them. The only issue he pointed out was his team needed to clean up some of the turnovers. Both teams exchanged turnovers in the second half.

For the Tigers, this was the final chance for guys to compete for a spot against a different opponent. Jones said guys did win some spots today, but it wasn’t just from their performance today.

“It’s just not today, it’s the culmination of the last month of football. We’ll talk as coaches, evaluate the film and proceed Monday through practice probably having our starting lineup solidified,” Jones said.

For Greenville, they struggled on both sides of the ball to start. But as the scrimmage went on, the offense was able to move the ball as the defense started to make some plays.

Head coach Bart Schmitz said there were some positives and negatives to the scrimmage.

“Offensively, we moved the ball better than what we did in the first scrimmage,” Schmitz said. “Defensively, we struggled to get lined up at times. We have to continue to get better at knowing what they’re doing. That’s half the battle. If we can’t get lined up, then we don’t stand a chance.”

Senior quarterback Evan Manix and the group of running backs rotating in and out of the lineup helped the team move the ball. But at times, their youth showed up and stopped drives.

Schmitz said they knew there was going to be a learning curve with some of the kids as they were young. The coaching staff needs to continue to work with the kids as the season progresses.

Schmitz said as the team continues to play more games under the Friday night lights, they will get better after each time. But for now, the coaches did learn a few things about this team.

“We did learn some things. We didn’t quit, played hard. We did things the right way for the most part. We just got to get some seasoning under belts here a little bit,” Schmitz said.

Both teams will host their opponent for the season opener on Aug. 18. The Tigers will host Celina at 7 p.m. Jones said the team will need to continue to improve during this week of practice leading into the game with Celina returning a lot of players from a great team last year.

For Greenville, they will host Eaton at 7 p.m. It will be their first of back to back home games.

Contact Daily Advocate sports editor Drew Terhall at [email protected]